Just One NAFTA Country Lacks Universal Health Care

The US is perhaps the only rich country without universal health insurance coverage, and that will still be true even if the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. What’s interesting is that it’s not just rich countries that have the ambition to achieve coverage for all.

The US is perhaps the only rich country without universal health insurance coverage, and that will still be true even if the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented. What’s interesting is that it’s not just rich countries that have the ambition to achieve coverage for all.

Despite periods of economic downturns and crisis, Mexico recently achieved a significant milestone – enrolling 52.6 million previously uninsured Mexicans in public medical insurance programs and thereby achieving universal health coverage in less than a decade.

Sure, the public coverage is more basic, and Mexican facilites generally less advanced than their US counterparts. Yet it’s notable that a middle income country made this health policy a priority even when it’s rich Northern neighbor has not.